The first 5G spec just got approved – here’s what that actually means

Mobile networks are so keen to get 5G speeds into the hands of customers, they’ve agreed on the first standard a full six months early.

The members of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) have this week ratified the Non-Standalone (NSA) 5G New Radio (NR) spec, which will help form the basis of the first 5G networks, based on mature 4G infrastructure.

This ahead-of-schedule accord is important to hastening the arrival of 5G speeds.

Now the standard is in place, networks and chip manufacturers like Qualcomm can begin creating the silicon hardware that’ll power next-gen speeds for consumers.

HOT OFF THE PRESS!

Just a few minutes ago, the first spec for 5G has been declared complete by the 3GPP!

Congratulations to all the brilliant people, from Qualcomm and many other companies around the globe, who worked so hard to make this happen on an accelerated timeline! pic.twitter.com/9Eq3OVAWFn

Let development commence

While the specs themselves won’t be announced until next week, they’re said to offer support for the full range of low (600MHz,700MHz), mid-range (3.5GHz) and high-frequency, millimeter wave (50GHz) spectrum.

“This is really the step that enables vendors to start building equipment off of,” Matt Branda, director of technical marketing at Qualcomm told Fierce Wireless.